Fly fishing for Brown trout

Complete guide — gear, lures, season and tips.

Gear

Rod
4- to 6-weight fly rod, 2.7 m
Sage X
Loop Q
Vision Tane
Orvis Helios 3
Reel
5/6-weight fly reel
Loop Evotec
Vision XO
Hardy Ultralite
Mainline
WF-5 floating line
Leader
9–12 ft tapered leader, 0.14–0.20 mm tippet
Hook
#16 to #8

Lures / bait

  • Dry flies (Adams, Klinkhammer, CDC Caddis, Royal Wulff)
  • Nymphs (Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail, Copper John, Perdigon)
  • Streamers (Wooly Bugger, Zonker, Muddler Minnow)
Season
April–September for river trout, Sept–Nov for sea-run fish
Time of day
Dawn, dusk; overcast days fish well all day
Pro tip

Dries during a hatch, nymphs sub-surface, streamers for bigger fish. Read the current — trout hold behind rocks and along seams. Stay low and quiet on the bank.